Officers who are rude to the public will face formal punishment under new rules planned to improving the reputation of the police.

The new code of ethics will also cover officers working when drunk or using drugs, or those having sex while on duty.

Officers will be urged to blow the whistle on colleagues if they breach professional standards.

Punishments will range from a verbal warning to possible dismissal.

Earlier this year, Home Secretary Theresa May told the police service that reform or change would be forced upon them following a series of incidents that shook public confidence, including the alleged Hillsborough cover-up and the Plebgate scandal.

She is understood to back the guidelines drawn up by the College of Policing and they will go before parliament, although no date has yet been finalised.

Conservative MP James Clappison, who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, told The Daily Telegraph: "The overwhelming majority of the police are polite to the public, but I think it is useful to set out.

"I think this will be good for the police themselves and for the public and give them even greater confidence in them. The overwhelming majority of police are decent and conscientious.

Video:Mitchell: Police Stitched Me Up

"If officers breach the code of ethics a range of sanctions are available. Officers may simply be given a verbal warning or moved to another team, but more significant failures will require formal investigation and may result in an individual losing their job."